Mumba Mercy, Granger Teresa, Mugoya George, Brackett Stephen, Lu Junfei, Lund Emily, Lynn Charles, Ghera Anchal, Gay Whitney, Davis Lori
Center for Substance Use Research and Related Condition, Capstone College of Nursing, The University of Alabama, 650 University Blvd East, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35401, USA.
Department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology and Counseling, The University of Alabama, 520 Colonial Drive, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35401, USA.
Ann Gen Psychiatry. 2024 Dec 18;23(1):49. doi: 10.1186/s12991-024-00533-x.
Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is a pervasive and devastating public health crisis that continues to take a heavy toll on individuals and communities across the United States. In 2021, approximately 473,000 veterans misused opioids in the past year. In the context of their military service and post-service life, Veterans with OUD often encounter unique barriers to recovery, including the reintegration into civilian society and the pursuit of stable, meaningful employment. The path to recovery from OUD is inextricably linked to the restoration of a stable and purposeful life, a fact underscored by the interplay of substance use, mental health, and employment outcomes. These factors necessitate a comprehensive approach to treatment that extends beyond mere pharmacological interventions. One such approach is Individual Placement and Support (IPS), a well-established evidence-based practice that focuses on supporting individuals with severe mental illness in their pursuit of competitive employment. The primary objective of this manuscript is to describe a two-arm, multi-site RCT designed to rigorously evaluate the efficacy of IPS when provided to veterans with OUD and provide the baseline demographics and characteristics of the participants who have enrolled to date. The central hypothesis guiding this research is that IPS can significantly improve vocational, psychosocial, and treatment outcomes of veterans in recovery from OUD, ultimately leading to a more successful reintegration into civilian life. Our study is timely as the VA has expanded IPS services to veterans with SUD this past year. Thus, this study is one of the first to examine IPS in a subpopulation of veterans with a SUD and may provide actionable data to support sustainment of IPS with this population.
阿片类物质使用障碍（OUD）是一场普遍且具有毁灭性的公共卫生危机，持续给美国各地的个人和社区造成沉重损失。2021年，约47.3万名退伍军人在过去一年中滥用阿片类物质。在他们的服役期间和退役后的生活中，患有阿片类物质使用障碍的退伍军人在康复过程中常常遇到独特的障碍，包括重新融入平民社会以及寻求稳定、有意义的工作。从阿片类物质使用障碍中康复的道路与恢复稳定且有目标的生活紧密相连，物质使用、心理健康和就业成果之间的相互作用凸显了这一事实。这些因素需要一种超越单纯药物干预的综合治疗方法。一种这样的方法是个体安置与支持（IPS），这是一种成熟的循证实践，专注于支持患有严重精神疾病的个人追求竞争性就业。本手稿的主要目的是描述一项双臂、多地点随机对照试验（RCT），旨在严格评估为患有阿片类物质使用障碍的退伍军人提供IPS的疗效，并提供迄今已入组参与者的基线人口统计学和特征。指导这项研究的核心假设是，IPS可以显著改善从阿片类物质使用障碍中康复的退伍军人的职业、心理社会和治疗结果，最终使其更成功地重新融入平民生活。我们的研究恰逢其时，因为退伍军人事务部（VA）在过去一年已将IPS服务扩展至患有物质使用障碍（SUD）的退伍军人。因此，本研究是首批针对患有物质使用障碍的退伍军人亚群体研究IPS的研究之一，可能会提供可用于支持在该人群中持续开展IPS的可行数据。
